Bradamante
by Camilla2
Summary: The rating is for mild violence. Remember in the Lioness quartet Alanna said that there were lady knights centuries ago? This is the story of one of the original lady knights.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: I was reading late at night (not a great idea), and a light bulb came on. So, after I turned out the lights, I got the idea for this story. Any help you can offer would be appreciated. CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is welcome (constructive being the key word). So press the little blue button; you know you want to.  
  
Summary: Remember in the Lioness Quartet how they said that there used to be lady knights, centuries ago in Tortall? This is the story of one of those original lady knights.  
  
Disclaimer: The idea came from (of course) Lioness Rampant, but also from a story from Bullfinches's Mythology. I, unfortunately, own neither of them**sighs pathetically**, so nobody sue me. ENJOY THE RIDE!  
  
Prologue  
  
Agramant, emperor of Carthak, called together a council, including the heads of the Copper Isles, the king of Tusaine the ruling warlord in Scanra. He reminded them of his many grievances against Tortall, mainly the fact that his father had died in battle against King Jackson VI of Tortall. Maven, the king of the Copper Isles, was willing to join him in this enterprise because Agramant promised him a piece of land on the mainland if they won the war. Rodomont, the king of Tusaine, was willing to fight not only because he was up to any good fight, but because he stood to gain quite a bit from Tortall's treasury if they won the war. Leif, the ruling warlord in Scanra, had been trying to raise a force to invade Tortall for years.  
Sobrino, the wisest of Agramant's councilors, was firmly set against this idea; however Rodomont, the young and adventurous king of Tusaine, was eager to venture forth on this deadly enterprise. One of his councilors, especially known and respected for his prophetic insight, informed Agramant that his attempt would be an utter failure, unless he could get the brave young warrior Rogero on his side.  
Rogero was a direct descendant of Hector, a mortal son of Mithros. Unfortunately, his foster father, the great magician Atlantes, kept him in idleness on Mount Carena, a lonely peak away from all other life.  
Rogero, however, is not the knight this tale is about; it is another brave knight, named Bradamantè, who is the subject of this tale. Let it suffice to say that Rogero was rescued and joined Agramant's forces.  
Bradamantè was a female knight of bravery and skill equal to any other knight in King Jackson's armies. She faithfully fought with her king against the invading enemies. But it is not for me to tell her story; I will let her tell it herself. 


	2. Invasion

A/N: Hope you liked the prologue. This story is coming along slowly because of school and all. I want to thank youdontneedtoknow(the spellchecker went crazy after that one) for reviewing. You are alone at the moment, but I'm sure that can be remedied. I most certainly intend to finish my story and I will keep your suggestion in mind. SO ENJOY THE RIDE!  
  
Chapter 1: Invasion  
  
The Carthaki emperor, along with the rulers of the Copper Isles, Tusaine, and Scanra, had mounted an invasion of Tortall. I immediately joined my king in his efforts to expel the invaders. The army rode hard to meet the enemy at the border and engaged them in combat. The battle was long and fierce, but we fought hard in defense of our land. Near the end of the day, despite our prolonged resistance, Agramant's combined army forced us to retreat.  
As the rest of the army was retreating, I was engaged in single combat with a knight from Tusaine. While we were fighting, an honorable enemy knight interrupted our combat.  
"Knight of Tortall," he shouted," your king is retreating. If you wish to overtake him you must leave now."  
I was surprised and disappointed that Tortall's forces has not been able to defeat our enemies, but I certainly wanted to catch up with the rest of the army.  
"I would like to finish our contest, sir," I cried to the man I was fighting," but I must follow my king."  
"Only one of us will leave this battlefield alive, coward," the enemy knight cried, brandishing his mace above his head.  
"Halt, sir." The other knight came to my aid once again. "I will take up this knight's challenge if you will not let him leave the contest undecided." I did not like the idea of leaving this young man to fight my battle for me, but I knew I must rejoin my king as soon as I could.  
"I am willing," my assailant cried.  
"I owe you much for this, sir knight," I said as I wheeled my warhorse around and galloped off the battlefield. I charged across the field and plunged into the forest at its edge. I hoped that if I rode hard, I would be able to catch up with King Jackson. No matter how hard I pushed my weary steed, however, I could see no sing of others from the royal army. I pulled my horse, Venture, to a halt to allow myself a moment to think. If I could not reach the rest of the army, I thought I should return to the battlefield to take up my combat from the brave knight who had taken my place. Pulling on Venture's reigns, I wheeled him toward the field once more.  
As I neared the lone pair of fighters on the field, my unknown champion struck a terrible blow to his assailant. The foreign knight nearly fell from his horse; he dropped his sword in his attempt to remain on his steed. I spurred Venture on to stand beside the honorable knight.  
"Sir knight, I was unable to catch my king, and I will no longer allow you to risk harm on my account. I thank you for your bravery; I will take up my fight now," I said. I could tell he was about to answer, but the other knight spoke before he was able. "No, neither of you needs to fight any longer. You could have killed me, sir knight, while I was unarmed. I will leave our contest undecided with your permission," he said. The last part, we all knew, was spoken to me. I wanted to refuse to let him leave just as he had done to me, but I knew that would have been unwise. "You may go, sir," I called. He turned his horse and charged toward the opposite side of the field. I suppose he was afraid that I would change my mind and try to follow him. The valiant knight who had come to my aid turned his charger to face me. "You were unable to rejoin your king, and I owe no real allegiance to any of the invading kings. Perhaps we could ride together, at least until you can find the rest of your army?" He sounded unsure of himself, but I preferred to travel with a companion than travel alone. "I would be honored to ride with you for a time, sir knight," I replied. With that, we turned our horses away from the battlefield and headed into the surrounding forest. 


	3. Introductions

A/N: I would like to encourage anyone out there reading this to push that little blue/purple button at the bottom of the page. You know, I don't think anyone really knows what color that thing really is. Since I don't have any reviewers to answer, ENJOY THE RIDE.  
  
Chapter 2: Introductions  
  
As my unknown companion and I entered the forest, curiosity got the better of me. "Sir knight, you have risked your life on my behalf, yet I still do not know your name," I said.  
"My name is Rogero. My ancestor Astyanax was a mortal son of Mithros. My mother, a highborn lady, was forced from her home by a war. She died giving birth to me, but a mage named Atlantes took me as his own son and raised me to become an accomplished knight," Rogero volunteered. "I have told you my history, and I would desire the same courtesy of you, brave knight," he added after a pause.  
I hesitated only a moment; if this knight would tell me his history with no reserves, I could tell him my own history as well. "My name, sir, is Bradamantè. I am the sister of the brave knight Rinaldo," I confessed.  
"For truth?" Rogero asked. I nodded mutely, not daring to look at him. I was not sure why, having met this man, an invader of my country, I should desire his approval so much.  
"That is shocking news," Rogero said. "I have indeed heard of Rinaldo, but I did not know that he has a sister." – He hesitated for a moment—"Could you—I mean would you—ah—be willing to take off your helmet? May I see your face?" he asked.  
Whatever insecurities I had felt about this man had vanished by then. I removed my gloves and untied the strap holding my helmet on. I slowly drew it over my head.  
Rogero looked at me without speaking for a few moments. As he was drawing breath to say something, a group of Carthaki warriors burst out of the surrounding trees.  
Because my head was unprotected, the Carthaki soldiers came at me first. One of them hit me above my left ear with the flat of his sword blade. I nearly fell from my saddle but managed to regain my balance. I pulled my helmet back onto my head, and Rogero and I fell on our attackers. The Carthakis were soon forced to flee, and we followed them. They fled in two different directions, and, therefore, we were forced to separate in order to catch all of our attackers.  
I charged after the fool who had wounded me. I would avenge myself on him or die trying. Because he and his companion were on foot, they were able to move easily through the dense forest. As I at last overtook them, I jumped off Venture's back, landing squarely on the back of the man who had wounded me. We both fell under the shock of the impact. My target, however, took the worst of the fall. When I jumped to my feet, ready for his attack, I was shocked to see that his left leg was severely broken. I stepped back, making sure that he would not be attacking me again.  
I had momentarily forgotten about his friend but spun quickly when I heard a branch snap behind me. The rogue was trying to sneak up on me. He raised his sword to strike, but I blocked his vicious blow. His blow was powered by rage and fear and probably would have severed a limb if I had not been able to block it. I thrust blindly toward my attacker's stomach and was rewarded with the sickening sensation of steel piercing chain mail and flesh. He dropped to the ground with a sharp cry of pain. I quickly slit his throat, effectively ending his pain.  
I quickly left the place of death to search for Rogero. I had foolishly forgotten to check which direction I was headed before leaving Rogero, and now I was hopelessly lost.  
I was fairly certain the battlefield lay toward the north, so I turned Venture in that direction and let him set his own pace. Not surprisingly, Venture was weary from a day of fierce combat, just as I was. It took considerably longer to leave the woods than it had taken to make my way so deep into them. When Venture and I at last broke free of the forest, I found myself on the edge of the battlefield.  
As much as I would have liked to get away from the battlefield, I hoped that Rogero would go there if he when he could not find me. I unsaddled Venture and hobbled him near where I put out my bedroll. I took some bandages from my saddlebag and began to bandage my recently acquired head wound. It was not deep, but it bled freely. By the time I had finished with my wound, night had fallen.  
Since Rogero had yet to arrive, I decided to renew my search for him in the morning. I stretched out on my bedroll, and sent a murmured prayer to the Goddess for Rogero's safety through the night.  
  
A/N: Sorry about not updating for a while, but I do have other things to do *sigh* 


	4. Quest

A/N: I am terribly sorry to wait so long to update. My computer died on me; and believe me, it didn't go to computer heaven! NOT that I think there's anyone out there reading this. IF there _is_ anyone there, CLICK THAT LITTLE BUTTON! Sorry for that little outburst, but I have a total of one, yes one, review. So…I will write this for the one person reading it. ENJOY THE RIDE.

Chapter 3: Quests

When the morning sun topped the trees, Venture and I were already moving. I took a different path into the forest, hoping to find Rogero. That morning was uneventful; I met no one. I was beginning to think I was the only one on the path. That idea was soon proven wrong.

During the afternoon, I came across a beautiful clearing near a stream. I was leading Venture to the stream to drink when I heard a noise in the bushes. I drew my sword thinking that an enemy was trying to surprise me. When no one jumped out of the bushes, I stepped forward to investigate. What I saw was not what I had expected.

A man was lying on the bank of the stream. The noise I had heard was only the man moving around. I took him for a knight because a suit of armor was lying on the ground near him.

"Sir, it is not wise to scare an unknown knight in these times," I said.

"You would only be doing me a kindness if you killed me," the man answered, rolling onto his back to look at me.

"Why do you say that, sir?" I inquired.

The man looked at me for a moment before answering. "My betrothed was captured by a powerful enchanter, and I cannot rescue her. This enchanter's fortress is on the top of a steep mountain; the only way to reach it is by means of a flying horse."

"You have to be joking," I said. "Surely you could scale the mountain."

"It's impossible. Two other knights have tried to reach the fortress, and both of them have been captured. I have traveled far and wide to find someone to help me save my love, and I can fond no one able to do it." The man threw himself back down on the ground.

"At least tell me who these captured knights were. If I know of them I will try to rescue them. Perhaps if both of us fight we can get into this fortress," I suggested.

"You?" the knight said, looking me up and down. "Rogero of Tusaine could not defeat the enchanter; do you think you can do what he could not?"

I was shocked to hear that Rogero had been captured by this magician. Surely no one could defeat Rogero so easily; he was one of the greatest knights in the known world. This love-lorn knight was probably right; I had no chance against a man who could so easily capture one of the best knights to ever carry a sword, but I was strangely compelled to attempt a rescue.

"I'll do it," I blurted out. The other knight only looked at me. "I'll do it," I repeated. "I'll save your betrothed."


	5. Good Tidings

AN: I'm on a roll here: two chapters in one day! I'll just assume that someone out there is reading this… (insert crickets chirping here) Reviews are always appreciated; YES, I'M TALKING TO YOU!Oh well. ENJOY THE RIDE.

Chapter 5: Meetings

After I had helped the knight (I later learned his name was Penabel) into his armor, we began our journey to the enchanter's fortress.

Penabel was from Carthak; but I did not embark on this quest for his sake or, shamefully, for his captured love's. I undertook this quest to rescue Rogero if possible.

I wondered why the enchanter would want to capture Penabel's betrothed. She most certainly was not a warrior; the Carthakis were strictly against women fighting. I highly doubted that she would have started an argument with someone able to defeat accomplished knights without so much as a fight. Unable to come up with a satisfactory answer and unwilling to ask Penabel, I eventually gave up trying to understand the enchanter's reasons.

Penabel said very little as we trudged through the forest. It would have been faster to ride, but my companion had ridden his horse to death in an effort to get away from the feared enchanter. I did not want to burden Venture with two fully armed knights; therefore, we kept our slow pace. When Penabel at last spoke, he voiced a grudgingly respectful desire to "know the name and lineage of my noble companion." I answered courteously, revealing my name and family. When I requested the same consideration of him, he blatantly avoided telling me; and I decided to let the issue rest for the moment.

We camped the night at the edge of the forest; and in the morning, we entered the foothills of a small mountain range. Penabel was quieter than he had been the day before. We spent the morning struggling deep into the foothills, nearer the smaller mountains.

Sometime after midday, Penabel suggested that he should climb the nearest of the small mountains to get an idea of where we were. I agreed t his plan, and he scrambled up the mountain. He seemed to be working his way around the mountain as he climbed. Not wanting to lose my guide to Rogero, I quickly decided to follow Penabel. When I caught up to him, he was standing by the opening of a small cavern. He looked rather upset, and I asked him what was wrong.

"There—there was a woman—yes! A woman in the cavern. She had been kidnapped by an evil knight. She—she was trying to escape," Penabel explained.

"Wait here," I said. I skidded down the path t get a rope from my saddlebag. When I returned, I handed the end of the line to Penabel.

"Hold this, and I'll climb down. I would let you go, but I couldn't pull you back up."

I crawled into the opening and slowly let myself down the line. I hoped Penabel wouldn't lose his grip on the rope. Suddenly, I heard Penabel's voice.

"I hope you enjoy the fall!" he yelled and released the rope.

I fell nearly ten feet to the dirt floor of the cavern. The fall knocked the wind out of my lungs, and I lay gasping for several minutes. When I felt I could breathe again, I struggled uncertainly to my feet. The cavern I found myself in was huge. I was suddenly glad I had not fallen from the top of the rope.

My first worry was to find a way out of the cave. I knew I could not get out the way I had gotten in. I began to examine the inside of the cavern. I saw a door at one end of the cave. I quickly crossed to the door and opened it. In the next room sat an altar. As I approached the altar I heard a voice that was the sound of hounds in full cry with the hunters urging them on.

"My daughter," the voice said. "You have come in quest of your beloved. I tell you now, Daughter, you shall find him, and your heirs shall be the most renown knights in all the world. You are one of my chosen; you shall have my protection and guidance for so long as you shall have need of it, Bradamatè."

The voice drove me to my knees with the power it contained. I remained on my knees even after the voice stopped. When I realized what the voice had said, I knew this cavern must be devoted to the Great Mother Goddess. Her favor was unexpected but not unheard of or unappreciated. I resolved to always strive to be worthy of the Goddess's favor.

My reverie was broken when a white-clad woman entered from a hidden door in the wall of the chamber.

"Good day, Chosen of the Mother," the woman greeted me.

I was glad of my visor to hide my face, for I was blushing fiercely. I mumbled a greeting as I rose to my feet.

"I am Melissa," the woman continued. "The Great Mother sent me to help you. I know you seek Rogero. You will find the enchanter a hard foe to defeat; but if you heed my advice, you will prevail."

Melissa had been gifted with a vision from the Goddess two nights ago. She knew all about where Rogero was being held. She even knew who the nameless enchanter was. He was Atlantes, Rogero's foster father. He'd had a vision that Rogero would die if he continued fighting. Atlantes was trying to create a safe place to keep his son during the war. Melissa explained why the enchanter had kidnapped Penabel's beloved: he was trying to entice Rogero to stay voluntarily.

"Take this ring," Melissa said. "It will protect you from Atlantes' shield. He will expect it to blind you when he reveals it. Fall, as if you are blind. When he comes to bind you, you can easily overpower him."

"You make it sound so simple," I said. "There must be something more difficult to it."

"You are right," the priestess said. "Atlantes' fortress can only be reached by the hippogryph which he rides. The beast is fierce. Put this around his neck." She handed me a loop of chain. "This will make him manageable. Use the hippogryph to free those in the fortress. When everyone is free, release the hippogryph; he was not meant to be in captivity."

I'd thanked Melissa for her help and was turning to leave when she caught my arm. "Wouldn't you like to know where Atlantes' fortress is?"

I could hardly believe I had forgotten something so important. Melissa smiled good-naturedly and began to tell me the way to the fortress. When she had finished, the sun had nearly set. She invited me to rest at the shrine for the rest of the night. As I lay on the cot provided, I gained new hope. Tomorrow I would set out to rescue Rogero.


	6. Atlantes

A/N: It's summer, so I should be able to get chapters out better. And if anybody is reading this out there, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Ahem, excuse my insanity.

ENJOY THE RIDE.

Chapter 6: Atlantes

The sun rose on the mountains, bringing me hope. With many thanks to Melissa and the Great Mother, I rode out. According to Melissa's directions, Atlantes' fortress lay another day's travel into the mountains. A hard day in the saddle would not usually be something to look forward to; but with the promise of seeing Rogero before me, I would have spent months laboring into the mountains.

Venture seemed to have caught my sense of urgency for he never balked no matter what challenge I asked him to meet.

The day was terribly long. My mind wandered to the task set before me. Would Rogero be glad to be free of Atlantes' fortress, or would he be angry with me for making him fight and risk himself again? I wondered if Rogero was searching for a way out as urgently as I was looking for a way in. The biggest worry on my mind was whether the ring would truly work. If the ring failed me, I would never be able to free Rogero. _What if Atlantes knows I am not blinded?_ I thought. Would he slay me magically?

Unable to endure my worries any longer, I began naming all the mountains I knew. That didn't take long: geography was never my strong suit. Then I began naming all of my relatives; that feat took much longer. By the time I had gotten to my mother's aunts, the moon was beginning to rise.

I was not sure whether I should charge straight to Atlantes' fortress or wait until morning. I soon decided that if I didn't want to make the enchanter suspicious, I should wait until morning. No knight in his right mind would charge into a battle with so little daylight left. Besides, Rogero was in no danger in Atlantes' fortress; there was no reason, other than my own impatience, to rush to rescue those trapped in the mountaintop fortress.

I took shelter behind an outcropping of boulders for the night. The moon was full and bright, and it seemed as if the Great Mother was raining Her blessing on me with the moonbeams. I slept peacefully and the morning came sooner than I could have hoped.

At first light, I mounted Venture and rode out to challenge Atlantes. As I rode into a bare field, I caught my first sight of the mountaintop fortress. It was situated on a sheer cliff face: nothing without wings would ever be able to reach that castle.

There was a tree in the middle of the field. On the tree's branches hung numerous shields, and a scroll, nailed to the trunk of the tree read:

_All ye who would challenge Atlantes the Enchanter:_

_Know the terms of engagement._

_All who enter into combat with the great Atlantes hazard_

_Imprisonment and death._

_If you would risk all to possess the fortress of Atlantes,_

_Sound the golden horn and prepare thyself for combat._

I rolled my eyes at the pompousness of the enchanter; surely the man could not be so self-important. I blew the horn just to humor the old man.

Atlantes descended from his fortress just as Melissa had predicted. While the aged unarmed man was less than terrifying, the steed he rode was enough to strike awe into the hardest of hearts. The hippogryph was a beast with the body of a horse and the limbs, head and wings of a gryphon. The hippogryph sported long, razor-sharp talons on its flailing feet and the curving beak of a bird of prey; I had no doubt that the animal could easily kill any attackers.

But my adversary was not the hippogryph. I was after Atlantes. The old man carried no weapons. Instead he carried the shield Melissa had told me about. I was monumentally happy that the enchanter trusted his shield's abilities so fully. Defeating Atlantes would be unbelievably easy.

As the hippogryph descended close enough, I struck at the beast and its rider. I missed, of course; but the enchanter wheeled his mount for another pass at me. I struck out a second time. I think Atlantes was enjoying watching me flail around like a blind man trying to swat a fly: he spent quite a while swooping at me. Finally Atlantes pulled the hippogryph up and forced it to hover out of my reach. He took the covered shield from his saddlebow and began removing the cover. When the shield was free, he turned it to face me. I tumbled from Venture's back and lay on the ground as if the shield had really blinded me.

Atlantes brought the hippogryph to the ground not far away and dismounted. He left the recovered shield and took a pair of manacles from a saddlebag. I lay still as Atlantes approached me. When he was close enough, I jumped up, jerked the chains from his hands, and used them to restrain the enchanter.

AT LAST! I was only moments away from seeing Rogero again. Thank the Great Mother!


End file.
